A Hebrew-Inscribed Pocket Watch from the Titanic is Up for Auction
- By Nathan Glover --
- 23 Aug 2018 --
The watch up for auction is a timeless artifact.
Heritage Auctions of Dallas, Texas, will hold up for bidding a pocket watch belonging to Sinai Kantor, a Russian citizen sailing to the United States of America aboard the R.M.S Titanic.[/tweetit] It is expected that the non-working artifact will change hands for about $20,000 or more. Sinai Kantor died in the iceberg accident. Miriam Kantor, his wife, survived. Both hailed from the Russian town of Vitebsk. Sinai was 34 years old and Miriam was 24. The two were among the 285 passengers traveling in the second class accommodation of the ship. Titanic's destination was Southampton, England.
A Hebrew-inscribed Pocket Watch from the Titanic Up for Auction[/tweetthis]
The timepiece was a striking one. It was crafted in Switzerland, and the back of the watch carries an embossed seated Moses. The Jewish prophet holds the Hebrew language inscribed Commandments. The watch is a testimony to the fewer than 100 Jewish passengers aboard the Titanic. The ship, one of the largest passenger liners of that time, had a total of 1,503 passengers.
The watch was rusted by sea water. Its face is about three inches in diameter containing Hebrew letters corresponding to numbers 1 through 12. The sea has claimed the watch hands. The back of the watch has Moses holding the Ten Commandments. The background has five palm trees and a clearly identifiable arch complete with Doric columns.
Heritage Auctions has the requisite paperwork for authenticity. The list of documents proving the genuineness of the timepiece includes a provenance letter written by one of the family's descendants. The details are all there: Kantor's profession as a furrier who wanted to study medicine or dentistry in the United States. His wife had similar academic ambitions. The couple bought ticket number 244367 by paying a princely sum of 26 pounds sterling. Accounting for inflation, the amount corresponds to about $3,666 in today's value. The watch at that time was a luxury item, made to be worn only by the rich and the prosperous. It was intended to be eye-catching. Researchers hold the opinion that a luxury accessory like this watch would have helped the Kantors to pass easier through immigration and customs. Wealth, at that time, like as it is now, facilitates the process.
This is an incredible story: Sinai Kantor, a Russian-Jewish immigrant, died on the Titanic. Over a hundred years later his pocket watch with Hebrew numerals could fetch £15,000 at auction ?⌚️
READ HERE: https://t.co/opmVBQebxF https://t.co/opmVBQebxF
— Jack Mendel (@Mendelpol) August 15, 2018
Sinai Kantor died in the shipwreck. Miriam survived as children and women were prioritized for rescue. She clambered aboard lifeboat number 12 and finally reached the United States. The watch up for auction is a timeless artifact.
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